100 Years of Celebrating Motherhood
Mother’s day reaches its 100th anniversary on Sunday. I find it interesting that a woman who never married and never had children was the one who started it all. Anna Jarvis organized the first mother’s day service in 1908, three years after her mother died. Even though she wasn’t a mother, she felt it was important to recognize these hard working women and create a memorial for them.
West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mother’s Day in 1910. President Woodrow Wilson approved a resolution in 1914 marking the second Sunday in May a nationwide observance. Now 52 countries across the world celebrate this day in May.
The celebrations have changed greatly over time. With 83 million mothers in the USA alone, retailers have seized the opportunity and commercialized the holiday. That was not part of Anna’s vision. She had only intended for mothers to be honored with a single white carnation. She didn’t like the idea of people buying cards either. Anna felt that in purchasing a card, people were being too lazy to write a personal greeting to the women who reared them.
Anna had a point. The National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend $15 billion this year honoring their mothers. Dining out is expected to be the No. 1 expense. Amidst all of the shopping and eating, we may neglect the one thing that is most important — a personal word of thanks for all the sacrifices our moms made throughout the years.
As you send flowers, mail your cards, and eat dinners with your mothers on Sunday, don’t neglect the most important thing. Tell your mom how much she means to you. I know I will.
